Tags
Isaiah 6:1-8; 1 Cor 15:1-11; Luke 5:1-11
Isaiah, like SS, Peter and Paul, knows he is not worthy. “Who, me Lord?” Paul is the “least” of the Apostles, while Peter is sceptical of Jesus’ advice to go back out and cast his nets in the deep. He knew himself to be a “sinful man.” And of course he was right.
Despite Jesus’ trust in him, when he was most needed in Gethsemane he was asleep, and later he lied about even knowing Jesus. In a conscious echo of that first calling, Jesus once more advises Peter about his fishing, and it is that which makes him realise to whom he is speaking. Thrice the Lord asks Peter if he loves him, and thrice Peter affirms it; ransomed, healed, restored forgiven, the Apostle is charged with the care of the sheep. He no longer protests he is not worthy. Why is that?
It is certainly not because Peter feels any more worthy than he had had the beginning; indeed if anything Peter knew he had not lived up to the promises he had made. The contrast here with Judas Iscariot is worth noting.
Peter and Judas both betrayed Christ. Judas despaired of the evil deed he had done and, in despair, hanged himself. He could not forgive himself and he did not believe that forgiveness could be had. His pride told him that there was no remedy for his sin; so he destroyed himself, throwing back to God the gift he had been given. He had not been there when Jesus had prayed to the Father for forgiveness for those who “knew not what they do.” Not had Peter. But there was a critical difference.
Peter, like Isaiah and Paul, had the humility not to let his own pride come between him and forgiveness. We have all sinned, not one of us has reached perfection. How easy it is to hide and evade, and even lie, when we have gone wrong and done bad things and then, when we are found out, to despair. It is as though by going to the very depth of despair we make some sort of amend. But that is to judge as men do, and as with Judas, it can be to put a barrier up to the actions of God’s grace.
There is one odd thing about love; you cannot ever deserve it. Even at the secular, physical level, one cannot make the object of one’s love, love you. One can hope that by paying attention to the beloved, one might receive favourable notice, but one cannot compel or deserve love. Love, like God’s grace, is uncovenanted. God’s love is freely available to us; we did not love Him first, He loved us from the beginning.
Christ came to show us what love will do. He died for us, though we are sinners. A man might die for his family or his friends, or even for a cause. But few if any of us die for our enemies, let along for those whom we do not know. Christ did that because He is God, and we see in His atoning sacrifice a glimpse of the Glory of God; for me He did that?
Peter faced the music, so did Isaiah. Sometimes when we have gone wrong, it is easier ti run away, to take the blames, to become the sacrificial lamb. How much harder it is to face the music and to carry on living.
We are not told what Peter did after the crucifixion, just that he ended up back where he had begun, working the family fishing boats, a sadder if not a wiser man. Perhaps he reflected that it would have been better for all if Jesus had listened to him when he had said he was a sinful man? But, of course, Jesus had listened. He who, alone, knows the devices and desires of our own hearts, knew that Peter had the ability to grow spiritually, if only he would learn humility. Well, that he did.
Peter remained, like us, deeply flawed. He thought that it would be fine to eat non-kosher with Gentiles and did not see why the Jewish dietary laws should apply to all followers of Jesus. But when James and the Church in Jerusalem took a dim view of that, Peter backed away and supported them. It was left to Paul to call Peter out and contradict him. Peter let that happen. He had indeed learnt humility, if not always wisdom.
We are all of us sinners. The moment one stops knowing that, then the way os open to all sorts of sins which come from pride. But today’s Bible passages remind us that sin can have its own pride, and that if our guilt makes us think we are beyond redemption and God’s love, then we need to think again. We have unclean lips and we are a stiff-necked and sinful people. But God loves us, and if we will but receive the message His Son brought to us about love, then all will be well, and all manner of things will be well.
Bosco the Heretic said:
At the moment of the crucifixion, no one was born again, even though they knew the Lord. Being born again is having a new spirit pitin you. One that was made in heaven and knows the Lord personally. The disciples were born again at pentacost.
To continue my witness, I will begin from when I was changed…..
I didnt know I was born again,but i seemed to know this Jesus and we communed together. I would ask him for favors and he would do them. He let me know who he was. I was young and in hi school and sat in my room, friends coming by once in awhile. I wasn’t aware I was special in any way. One day, my mother told me that reverand Galloway had called her to ask me to go to a conference for the congregational church what ever that Saturday. He wanted me to be the rep for our church. I told my mother that I wasn’t going to no damn church anything on my blissful Saturday. A few days later she asked me again. I told her the same thing. Saturday morning she told me I was going and that she would box my ears in if I tried to refuse. Boy oh boy was I mad. I got dressed and she took me and dropped me off there. Lots of people my age were there. And to my surprise, there was lots of kids who had the same thing happen to them as happened to me. Lots of pretty girls too. I collected lots of phone numbers and gladly went back the next day. To make the story short, from there I was led to gatherings and people who had this happen to them. The Lord brought me together with fellow pilgrims. The Lord is strong and does what he wants and does what he says he will do.
LikeLike
chalcedon451 said:
So, Jesus keeps popping up and giving you what you want. Sounds a good trick by Satan; you have fallen for it. I pray for you.
LikeLike
Bosco the Heretic said:
Satan doesn’t lead me to still waters. Satan didn’t urge me to read the bible. But Satan does urge people to bow down befor the works of their hands.
LikeLike
chalcedon451 said:
Satan encourages us to trust to our own prideful judgment; you are a fine example I fear.
LikeLike
Nicholas said:
“ransomed, healed, restored forgiven” – Praise, My Soul, the King of Heaven. A great Anglican hymn, which was composed in the 19th century, and one which goes well with, “Lo! He comes with clouds descending”, in my opinion. I do love the old hymns.
LikeLiked by 3 people
chalcedon451 said:
Me too, they contain within them much wisdom
LikeLiked by 3 people
Bosco the Heretic said:
I love good brother Martin Luthers A Mighty fortress Is Our God.
LikeLike
Bosco the Heretic said:
And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me.
5 For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence.
And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.
2 And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting.
3 And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them.
4 And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.
Good brother Chalcedon, what do you think happened to these people? Obviously you think nothing happened to them. These were the first people to be born anew. They were born again as Jesus said we must be.
LikeLike
chalcedon451 said:
We are told what happened to them. What we are not told is that they were born again with the assurance of eternal salvation.
LikeLiked by 1 person
bozoboy87 said:
For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: [it is] the gift of God:
That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.
Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.
There are no if ands or buts here.After you waste your time andmoney driving back and forth from your church mass service and eating the sun god cracker and bowing befor all the pretty graven images, you still walk away not being assured of salvation? If I was you, id keep walking down the street to the Kit Kat Gentlemen’s Club . At least you’d get some bang for your bucks.
LikeLike
chalcedon451 said:
The most ancient mistake you repeat here. You really believe that if you are saved and then kill people you are still saved? Really? Get real.
LikeLike
Bosco the Heretic said:
I guess so.
LikeLike
Bosco the Heretic said:
Good brother Chalcedon, you keep asking me where in the bible does it say people are saved. Well I found it.
Praising God, and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.
I will be expecting your heart felt apology.(;-D
LikeLike
chalcedon451 said:
Sorry, where does it say that they have assurance of eternal salvation? Where does it say they are born again?
LikeLike
bozoboy87 said:
These people were saved…from the wrath of god. You need to find another religion. One that has assurance of salvation. Not that crap shoot religion you now subscribe to.
LikeLike
chalcedon451 said:
Bosco, nowhere in Scripture does anyone claim to have assurance of salvation. You made that up, it is your invented personal religion.
LikeLike
Bosco the Heretic said:
Gosh good brother, I just gave you the scriptures that say that. What else do you want?
It must be bleak belonging to a religion of unsure hopelessness and a weak no show cracker god.Catholics even believe there is no escape from the time of Jacobs trouble. They are correct in assuming that. Even the unsaved prots think if there is a rapture that they will be on it. The first sunday after the rapturos, all you religion people will be asking your priest or pastors…..why didn’t we get taken?
LikeLike
chalcedon451 said:
You have a problem understanding what you read because the Spirit is not in you. You are part of a cult that believes that once you “feel” saved you are “saved”. That has not a thing to do with anything Jesus ever said.
If it was what He meant, why is there not a single example of an Apostle saying “I am saved”? Why does Paul work out his salvation in fear and trembling?
As for this silly “rapture” no one believed it meant what you did until very recently.
Bosco, you are a cultist, possibly a cult of Bosco, but either way, go to a Church, confess your sins and find the real Christ, not some fraudulent spirit pretending to be.
LikeLike
Bosco the Heretic said:
Good brother Chalcedon, I think you are a bot. A catholic bot. You cant be a real human. You deny the very words of scripture. No human has the nerve to do that. You must be some catholic program.
LikeLike
Bosco the Heretic said:
Aye, say, good brother Chalcedon, good brother scoop warmed my heart with a story about a lady he knows who got born again and her eyes were opened and she saw the cruel joke of religions and catholicism in particular. I think she was catholic befor she got saved. Now she wants nothing to do with that pile of perversion. Ask good brother scoop how shes doing for me. Thanks in advance.
LikeLike
Sledge Abbamonte said:
Excellent read. Not too long ago I was speaking with a youth group about Galatians, and how Peters humility and willingness to learn is one of the reasons he was chosen as the “rock”.
LikeLiked by 1 person
chalcedon451 said:
Good topic, and I think a very relevant one
LikeLiked by 3 people
Bosco the Heretic said:
Good brother Peter is not the Rock of Salvation. Jesus is. Your sick sad religion is built on a man. Jesus is the Rock of my salvation.
Rock of ages, cleft for me
Let me hide myself in thee
Let the water and the blood
From thy wounded side which flowed
Be of sin the double cure
Save from wrath and make me pure
LikeLike
chalcedon451 said:
Well Jesus called him rock, but hey, you know better than Jesus.
LikeLike
Bosco the Heretic said:
I know Jesus. And there is no other Rock. Nowhere in scripture is Peter hailed as the head. But the unsaved have a bigger problem. Where do they go when they die unsaved.
LikeLike
chalcedon451 said:
Simon’s name is changed to Peter, which means Rock. Even when Jesus says the words you do not believe him. Whoever appeared to you they are telling you not to believe Jesus. Think on Bosco.
LikeLike
Bosco the Heretic said:
I know he changed his name to Peter. No prob there. What did Jesus talk\ about after that? Ill bet y ou don’t want to talk about that. Since when did you idolatrous catholics care what Jesus said? You do everything he said not to do. Not that I am any model of piety.
LikeLike
bozoboy87 said:
Here is my favorite hymn
So lean upon Him gently
And don’t call on Him to save you
From your social graces
And the sins you used waive
You used to waive
The bloody Church of England
In chains of history
Requests your earthly presence at
The vicarage for tea
And the graven image catholic With His plastic crucifix
He’s got him fixed
Confuses me as to who and where and why
As to how he gets his kicks
He gets his kicks
Confessing to the endless sin
The endless whining sounds
You’ll be praying ’til next Thursday to
LikeLike
Bosco the Heretic said:
I remember the exact moment I was born again. All of a sudden everything I saw was vain and vanity. Stores and billboards were all vain vanity. Hollow endeavors with no purpose. I thought I was losing my mind. My eyes were opened.
LikeLike